U.S., Ukraine to continue work on 'refined' peace plan to end war with Russia

The United States and Ukraine are set to continue work on Monday on a plan to end the war with Russia after agreeing to modify an earlier proposal that was widely seen as too favourable to Moscow, after talks in Geneva on Sunday.

The White House separately said the Ukrainian delegation had told them it "reflects their national interests" and "addresses their core strategic requirements," although Kyiv did not issue a statement of its own.

It was not clear how the updated plan would handle a host of issues, including how to guarantee Ukraine's security against ongoing threats from Russia.

The United States and Ukraine said they would continue "intensive work" ahead of a Thursday deadline, although U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the American delegation during the talks, was flying back to Washington late on Sunday.

U.S. President Donald Trump has kept up the pressure on Ukraine to reach a deal. On Sunday, he said Ukraine had shown "zero gratitude" for American efforts over the war, prompting Ukrainian officials to emphasise their thanks for Trump's support.

Trump previously set a Thursday deadline for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a peace plan, but Rubio said on Sunday that deadline might not be set in stone.

Zelenskyy could travel to the United States as soon as this week to discuss the most sensitive aspects of the plan with Trump, according to sources familiar with the matter.  

The initial 28-point proposal put forth by the United States last week called on Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits on its military and abandon its ambitions to join NATO. Those terms would amount to capitulation for many Ukrainians after nearly four years of fighting in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.

The original plan came as a surprise to U.S. officials across the administration, according to two sources who said on Saturday it was crafted at an October meeting in Miami that included special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian envoy who is under U.S. sanctions.

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